In my opinion, the education of America’s youth, especially in economically disadvantaged districts, is shockingly deficient — and the cause of many social problems. If someone cannot read or write, how can they get a job, and what, then, are their alternatives to earning a living?
Teachers and students must be held accountable. Students should be required to pass minimum competency tests each year in order to move to the next grade level.
Students should not be passed on to the next grade as a matter of course; if they are ill-prepared, with each year they will fall further behind.
Teachers should be assessed and removed for poor performance. What other profession offers tenure? I taught one year of school after graduating from my university before leaving to work in business. It was an eye-opening experience. Standards must be improved or the cycle of decline detrimental to America’s youth will continue.
Russ DeJulio
Mt. Lebanon